Iraq Football Association
Corporate brand
UnclaimedIraq's national governing body for association football, responsible for the country's national teams and domestic football competitions.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Iraq Football Association (IFA) is the governing organization for association football in Iraq. It administers the Iraqi national football teams, oversees the country's organized league and cup structures, and represents Iraqi football in international and regional institutions. The senior men's national team is widely known as the Lions of Mesopotamia, a name that connects the team to the historical identity of the region. The association was established on 8 October 1948, becoming one of Iraq's earliest national sports federations. The idea of creating a dedicated football authority was discussed around the 1948 London Olympic Games, although Iraq did not yet have a football association and therefore did not send a football team to that edition of the Games. The first administration was led by president Obaid Abdullah Al-Mudhayfi and general secretary Saadi Jassim, with headquarters in Baghdad's Sheikh Omar district. At formation, the association brought together 14 clubs and institutional teams from Baghdad, Basra, Mosul and Kirkuk, including military, police, educational, industrial and port-based sides. The IFA joined FIFA in 1950 and later became affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation in 1970. It has also participated in the regional football structures of West Asia, the Arab world and the Gulf. These affiliations give the association responsibility for entering Iraqi representative teams into international competitions, maintaining the country's formal standing in global football, and coordinating with confederation and regional bodies. Domestically, the IFA organizes or supervises a multi-level football system. Its competitions include the Iraq Stars League, the Iraqi Premier Division League, the Iraqi First, Second and Third Division Leagues, the Iraq FA Cup, the Iraqi Super Cup and the Iraqi Women's Football League. Through these competitions, the association provides the regulatory framework for clubs, promotion and relegation, national cup competition, elite-level football and women's football. It also serves as the institutional link between Iraqi clubs, national teams, refereeing and the international football authorities. The association's history has been shaped by the political and security conditions affecting Iraq. Its international football activity has included periods of significant sporting success as well as interruptions and sanctions. The IFA has also faced disciplinary controversy involving the use of over-age players in youth competitions. Iraq was removed from the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship in Saudi Arabia for that violation, and the resulting ban was extended after Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990. These episodes illustrate the association's exposure to both sporting-governance rules and wider geopolitical events. Today, the IFA remains the central institutional brand of Iraqi football. Its role is not commercial in the conventional consumer-brand sense; its reputation is derived from national representation, competition administration, regulatory authority and stewardship of the sport. The association's public importance comes primarily through the national teams and the domestic competitions operating under its authority.
History
The Iraq Football Association was formed on 8 October 1948. It was the third national sports union established in Iraq, following the country's athletics and basketball federations. The concept of an Iraqi football association emerged around the 1948 Olympic Games in London. Iraq's basketball delegation attended those Games, and discussions among Iraqi sports representatives helped lead to the creation of a formal football authority. Because the IFA did not yet exist in 1948, Iraq did not enter a football team in the Olympic tournament. The first association administration was based in Baghdad's Sheikh Omar district. Obaid Abdullah Al-Mudhayfi served as its first president and Saadi Jassim as general secretary. The founding membership consisted of 14 teams drawn from Baghdad and other Iraqi centers. These included royal, military, police, educational and professional institutions, as well as clubs from Basra and branches in Mosul and Kirkuk. The composition reflected the organization of Iraqi sport at the time, when football was strongly connected to public institutions, the armed forces, schools and major employers. The IFA joined FIFA in 1950, establishing Iraq's formal connection with the global football system. It became an Asian Football Confederation member in 1970. The association subsequently developed ties with several regional bodies, including the Union of Arab Football Associations, West Asian Football Federation and Gulf Football Federation. Through these memberships, the IFA represents Iraq in international football administration and enters Iraqi teams into competitions governed by global, continental and regional authorities. The association's domestic role expanded into the administration of a national league pyramid and cup competitions. Its competition portfolio includes the top-level Iraq Stars League, lower professional and amateur divisions, the Iraq FA Cup and Iraqi Super Cup, alongside a women's league. The IFA also provides the organizational framework for the men's and women's national teams and for Iraq's youth selections. Iraqi football governance has operated against a difficult political background. International football activity has periodically been affected by war, sanctions and disciplinary measures. One prominent sporting controversy involved Iraq's youth teams. Iraq was expelled from the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship in Saudi Arabia after the use of over-age players was established. The ban was later extended following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. The episode damaged Iraq's participation in international youth football and demonstrated how sporting sanctions could interact with broader international events. Despite these difficulties, the IFA continued to function as the recognized national football authority. Its significance rests on its dual role: it is both the regulator of Iraqi domestic football and the sole institutional representative of Iraq's national teams within FIFA, the AFC and regional confederations. The association's identity is therefore closely tied to national representation, competition administration and the development of football across Iraq.
- 2016
Joined the Gulf Football Federation
[1]Iraq became part of the Gulf Football Federation, adding another regional institutional connection.
- 2001
Joined the West Asian Football Federation
[1]The IFA became part of the West Asian regional football structure.
- 1990
International ban extended
[1]The association's football ban was extended after Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990.
- 1989
Youth team expelled from world championship
[1]Iraq was removed from the FIFA World Youth Championship after using players who exceeded the permitted age limit.
- 1970
Joined the Asian Football Confederation
[1]Iraq entered the AFC framework and became part of organized continental football administration in Asia.
- 1950
Joined FIFA
[1]The IFA became a member of FIFA, giving Iraq formal participation in the international football governance system.
- 1948
Association founded
[1]The Iraq Football Association was established on 8 October 1948 with an initial membership of 14 teams from Baghdad and other Iraqi regions.
Products and positioning
The IFA is positioned as Iraq's official and nationally representative football authority, combining domestic competition administration with the governance of Iraq's participation in FIFA, AFC and regional football activities.
National teams
Iraq national football teams
The IFA manages Iraq's representative football teams, including the senior men's side known as the Lions of Mesopotamia and the country's youth and women's selections. Its responsibilities include national representation, competition entry and coordination with FIFA, the AFC and regional football bodies.
Domestic league
Iraq Stars League
The Iraq Stars League is the leading domestic competition in the Iraqi football structure. It provides the country's highest-level club football platform under the regulatory and organizational authority of the IFA.
Cup competition
Iraq FA Cup
The Iraq FA Cup is the national knockout cup administered within the Iraqi football system. It gives clubs from the domestic structure a route to compete in a single-elimination national competition.
Super cup
Iraqi Super Cup
The Iraqi Super Cup is a domestic season-opening or prestige competition organized within the IFA's national tournament framework.
Women's league
Iraqi Women's Football League
The Iraqi Women's Football League is the principal women's domestic competition identified in the IFA's competition system, providing an organized platform for women's clubs and players.
Controversies
1989
Over-age players in youth competition
Iraq was expelled from the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship after its team was found to have used players above the permitted age. The incident resulted in an international football ban and became one of the most significant disciplinary controversies in the association's history.
Brand decisions
1970
Continental affiliation with the AFCStrategyBackground
Continental membership was necessary for Iraq's participation in Asian football administration and competitions.
Action taken
The IFA became a member of the Asian Football Confederation.
Aftermath
Iraq became institutionally integrated into Asian football.
1950
International affiliation with FIFAStrategyBackground
Iraq needed international recognition and an institutional route into global football competitions.
Action taken
The IFA joined FIFA.
Aftermath
Iraq gained formal standing in the international football system and a basis for entering FIFA competitions.
1948
Creation of a national football governing bodyStrategyBackground
Before 1948, Iraq did not have a dedicated national football association capable of coordinating clubs and representing the country internationally.
Action taken
Fourteen teams and institutional sides formed the Iraq Football Association on 8 October 1948.
Aftermath
The new body became the foundation for Iraqi national-team administration and domestic football governance.
Sources2 sources
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